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I am a 45yr old diabetic woman who suffered from 2 heart attacks and a mild stroke 6 months ago. I am on all sorts of medications such as Insulin, Glimeperide, Clopidogrel, Bisoprolol, Atorvastatin, Aspirin, Ramipril, Gluchophage/Metformin, and Amytriptylin. I have recovered well despite the period of ill health and am now back at work full time and looking after a young family and grandchildren.

This being said I have gone from having a head of wild curly hair to having nearly straight, very thin hair that is showing my scalp in places. Please help me understand if this will recover or is it a reaction to medications???

I am glad to hear you have recovered. While hair loss may not be life threatening like a heart attack or a stroke, it is a great concern for many patients with serious medical illness who need to be on many medications. Hair loss from medical stress may be temporary and you should generally see some regrowth in about a year. However, many patients may not see full regrowth.

In my experience it is generally not the medications that cause the hair loss, but the stress from the illness. With that said, the atorvastatin (also known as Lipitor) and amitriptyline both lists hair loss as a rare side effect, though I must reiterate that the side effect risk is rare.

There may be non-prescription solutions such as topical Rogaine, but speak with your doctor and get a good diagnosis before you start a treatment regimen for hair loss.

Does anyone know why I’ve also started to grow hair? I’ve started taking Cialis about 2 months ago with the once a week pills, it was giving me a major headache so i broke the pill into thirds and I’m talking a third every week or like every 4 days or so (headache is gone) and its great stuff, but my hair is starting to slightly grow back. Anyone know or is it a fluke?

Cialis (tadalafil) is generally taken for growth in the other head.

No, I am not familiar with any verified reports of hair growth from Cialis. We have had reports of hair loss from this drug, however, nothing is clear with regard to this. Have you talked to your doctor about your findings?

I am 52 and very athletic. I started taking Androgel about 3 or 4 years ago and usually stay on a low dose (2 to 3 pumps/day) except when training hard for a marathon or triathlon (a couple a year) and I go up to 8 pumps/day. I noticed I have lost a significant amount of hair around my crown so I’m now wanting to quit Androgel for good IF there is evidence that the hair will grow back over time. Is there any evidence that this happens or have I lost that hair for good. My hair is otherwise plentiful and my hereditary traits are for thinning hair but not baldness like I am getting so I feel sure the Androgel is causing it.

Usually, hormone induced hair loss in men is permanent. You might try minoxidil in the crown, which might grow back some of the hair. Finasteride (Propecia) may stop the progressive nature of the hair loss while you are on Androgel.

Just wondering, im 30 years old hair starting to thin, i’m on propecia and curious about taking HGH. I want to get a bit bigger, but will this cause my hair to fall out? and is the safe to take this many drugs at once?

Human growth hormone (HGH) can cause hair loss, though one could speculate that Propecia might reduce the possibility of loss. Talk to your prescribing doctor about your plan.

Dear Doctor,
Whenever I use Minoxidil on my temples (I’m 27 years old and a NW3) I see some small hairs on bald areas but it accelerates the thinning of my hairlines middle which currently is turned to a V shape. The longest I have used Minox on temples was 6 months in which time I had quite a few hairs on previous bald areas but thinned considerably the middle sections. Now after some months of not using Minox I have started using it for 1.5 month and again am seeing the same results which means shedding of the middle section and small hairs on temples.

What should I do? should I continue and ride the shedding or stop cause i dont think the shedded hairs are going to grow back?

I really appreciate your Opinion on this. Many Thanks In advance.

Minoxidil topical (Rogaine) does help regrow hairs on the top and crown areas of your head (it is not generally used for the frontal and middle hairline). Minoxidil takes anywhere from 6-12 months to notice change, so your results are not typical. The only way you could tell progress (positive or negative) would have been with good before photos, miniaturization mapping, and bulk documentation.

See a dermatologist. Some people experience short term shedding from minoxidil, but I can’t explain why it’s causing quick regrowth at your temples while simultaneously making the middle of your hairline thin.

Hi Doc,

I have been taking Finasteride for about a year and a half now and within a few months of starting the drug I noticed that the hair on top of my head was getting thinner. I am 37 and have extremely slow hair loss since the age of nineteen, so after research I figured it was the “propecia shed” amd that it would grow back within a few months. Well, that was eleven months ago, and it still has not been restored to what it was before starting finasteride.

Anyways, I was hoping you could give me some advice on what to do. My doctor just basically said that all I can do is try Rogaine, but there are many reasons I don’t want to use it. Is there anything you could recommend by chance?

Thank-you

The only medicinal treatments I recommend for treating hair loss are minoxidil and finasteride, as they are the only ones proven to work.

I’m not sure what I can offer you advise-wise, considering you’re already under the care of a doctor and I don’t know anything about your medical history. You took finasteride because your hair was thinning — so is it possible that you were just a non-responder and your hair loss would’ve been progressing to this point even if you hadn’t taken finasteride? Did you have any additional stress in your life that could’ve caused it to occur?

Between Adderall and Ritalin, which of the two would be most likely to cause alopecia? I know this is a loaded question. Thanks drs

There’s no way for me to know that. Adderall’s safety label was updated last year to include alopecia, and there are some reports of hair loss associated with Ritalin as well… but these are likely rare. I don’t generally prescribe either medication, so perhaps your doctor might be more familiar with them.

For men, the most common cause of hair loss is due to genetics (not medication).

I have been taking gabapentin for years and just started to notice increased hair loss, more than would come out naturally. I’ve had chemo and all my hair came out, but that was about 6 years ago and my hair came back, but not all the way. A lot of women told me that when their hair came back it was their natural color, most women color their hair so didn’t even know what their natural color was, plus their hair came back thicker and glossier. They were all delighted.

Mine didn’t come back like that. I was taking gabapentin then and ever since. My hair came back weak, very fine, some gray in natural ‘mouse brown’, limp, awful looking and very easily broken. It was workable but I didn’t really notice it being really thin. Just in the past year and a half it has really been disappearing. I’m now wearing the wigs I used when my hair all came out with chemo.

I’ve had both knees replaced, one last July,2011 and the other last January, 2012. I thought it might have been caused by the anesthesia or the high doses of demeral? or the oxycodone I was taking for back pain. Also, beside the demerol? in the hospital the first time and then morphine the second time. But I don’t take any of that stuff since about April, 2012, around eight months ago and my hair seems to be coming out worse now. I’ve checked out all of those drugs and none of them seem to have hair loss as a side effect. Then I accidentally came across this blog and I have been enlightened. I never would have thought of gabapentin, but it sure makes sense. Is there a different medication to take the place of gabapentin? Someone help me out here?

I’m female, 64 years old, some baldness in the male side of the family, none on the female side. I take gabapentin, prilosec, atenalol?, effexor, Flexeril, Claratin, metformin, and Lantus, oxycodone/acetaminafen? when my back goes out. I take a multivitamin, vitamin C, magnesium, and iron beside the other prescription meds. What am I doing wrong? Can I be helped?

I really think you should see your doctor for your issues. Based on your medication list, you have a significant number of medical issues. You cannot just point to one drug as the source of hair loss. I wish it was that simple, but it does not work that way. In most cases the medical condition itself may be the cause (not the medication). Your issue is beyond the scope of a simple blog post. Sorry.

Had a slight thinning of hairline and a diffuse shed since starting an ssri. i have heard this is due to high prolactin caused by the ssri medication. could the thinning/receding hairline be the result of the medication?

While some medications can cause hair loss, medication is generally the last consideration among the list of other causes of hair loss. You may just have genetic hair loss that can cause thinning in the hairline. There is a reason why we call it male pattern baldness. Genetic balding has a pattern to it — like a receding hairline.

It’s even possible that you have a combination of things going on, with your genetics causing your hairline recession and the SSRI causing a diffuse shed elsewhere on your scalp. Many SSRIs are known to have hair loss as a rare side effect, but you really need to speak to your prescribing doctor about the medication and any issues you may be having because of it. I’ve written about this before here.

I simply don’t know enough about your case history, including your age, how long you’ve been taking the SSRI, family history of hair loss, etc.

I am 56 years old. i have been taking medicine for high blood pressure for 10+ years - Lisinopril10/12.5 and Ziac 2.5. My hair has been receding since i have been on this medicine like male pattern baldness but within the last 6 months it had thinned all over.

Do you think it could be the medicine i take, vitamin deficiencies, or poor circulation? I have been using hairloss shampoo Curetage and Nizoral and it seems to be worse. I can see lots of little tiny hairs about an inch long in my scalp. Is this MPB or something else.

Lisinopril and Ziac are both known to cause hair loss. Of course, the treatment of high blood pressure is important to your health. Speak with your doctor and ask him to consider switching your medication routine.

If you are in Los Angeles, consider paying me a visit so I can make an assessment of your hair, your hair bulk and the degree of miniaturization.